


Betrayal

by orphan_account, RougemageNick



Series: Just a RWBY OS full of OCs... [18]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2290127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougemageNick/pseuds/RougemageNick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iskelle has been silenced and the Dark Voice is free...The only thing left to do for the rest of Team JNAS is to bring him down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARTWORK, SEE THE NOTES BELOW. Hello, ladies and gentlemen. MZT1418, to those who are reading. Apologies for the inconsistent updates lately, but my focus has been elsewhere, as I've quite alot to handle. I will do my best though to update as often as I can.... Thanks for your patience.

Betrayal:

Nick released the lightning dust into the door, destroying the locking mechanism, and nodded to Sasha. Sasha opened her eyes, having closed them to focus her strength, and threw a mighty punch. The doors cracked and bent, coming off the hinges and falling inward. Nick and Sasha walked over the fallen doors and stared around the room, surveying the scene. A large Ursa lay beheaded on the ground near the fallen door, and the ground was covered in cool water, steaming off the warmer ground. They stopped at the worst part of the scene. Iskelle lay dead on the wall, a large slash going right down the center of her head and face. Near the corner of the room, Anna lay unconscious. Nick looked at Jay, who stood next to her, still holding his weapons.

"What the fuck happened....You guys killed her?" Nick said, confused.

Sasha stared at Anna, "What did you do to her?" she asked.

Jay turned to them, "Oh, I was gentle. Pressure points don't hurt...Much." Jay muttered. Nick narrowed his eyes.

"Sasha, get Anna..." he said, taking on his own leading voice. Sasha nodded and walked towards him. Jay walked past her, paying attention more to Nick.

"You aren't yourself right now Jay...You need to listen to me...Focus..." he said.

Jay chuckled and rolled his eyes, "Don't patronize me...I am focused.... Interestingly enough, I'm not as stupid as you are..." he said. Sasha had picked up Anna, who was groaning a little.

"You aren't getting away, Jay...We've already called Mickey...You're not going anywhere until she gets here." Nick said.

Jay smiled, "And you intend to stop me? Look around, Nick. There's no point....Aren't you just a little tired of this? It's so exhausting...I think I'll do something relaxing...And you aren't going to stand in my way..." he said. Jay stood a little casually, not taking any particular stance as normal. Nick drew his sword and gripped it with both hands. Jay had the bayonet endings clipped onto his tonfas, as Sasha ran past them. She glanced at Nick.

"Get outside...Wait for Mickey and Alice...I'll hold him here..." he said.

Jay laughed again, "If you can..." Sasha ran out as Jay watched after them, then turned back to Nick.

"Out of respect for you, I'll give you one last chance to calm down..." Nick said.

Jay laughed again, shaking his head, "Your stupidity never ceases to amaze." he said.

No sooner than he had finished his sentence did he charge at Nick. Nick waited for him to approach, then jabbed out towards him with his blade, but Jay leapt over him, and turned to attack him. Nick swung around on his heel and slammed his sword against Jay's tonfas. Jay pressed close to Nick, staring him in the eyes and chuckling again. Nick's eyes widened at this...Jay's eyes were completely red.

"That explains a lot. Jay, come on...You don't really want to do this, I know you don't..." he said, holding Jay's attack.

Jay's smiled disappeared, "You don't know what I want...You really don't understand what matters...And what doesn't." he said. Nick stepped back as Jay pushed against him, keeping their attacks crossed.

"Then tell me...Eh? What **does** matter than? Does Anna matter? Is that why you were so gentle with her? Pressure points? I didn't even see a bruise...Come on man...Get a grip...For her..." Nick said. Jay closed one eye, and suddenly threw Nick back. Nick stayed on his feet though. Jay looked annoyed now, and opened his eyes, which had a few golden cracks in the deep red. Nick nodded to himself, 'Ok, that did something...' he thought.

"Alright....I've fuckin' had enough of your shit, fuck-face..." Jay said. He raised his arms and bounced on his feet. Nick was a little confused. He'd never seen Jay move like that...It wasn't a style he thought Jay used. He raised his sword, and looked around at the water on the ground. He slammed his palm to the ground as Jay began running for him. He watched as Nick opened up the lightning canister on the water. Jay jumped forward and rolled, putting his coat between him and the ground. The water flowed off the surface and the electricity dissipated off the insulation material. Jay's roll brought him to his elbows and he kicked upward, slamming his foot into Nick's chest and tossing him back. Nick did his best to stay on his feet. He quickly brought his attention back to Jay, who had already gotten close to him again. The cracks appeared in his eye again as he crossed his arms over his chest. Nick turned, bringing his sword around him and bringing it down towards Jay. Jay threw his arms out, bringing the bodies of the tonfas up to defend himself. He aimed for the minute cracks that had formed in Nick's blade, and struck right on target. The blade cracked, breaking apart. The top piece that had broken off spun back, cutting deeply into Nick's right shoulder and pushing him back. Nick gasped as Jay brought his foot up, slamming it into Nick's chest and kicking him back against the wall. Jay chuckled and turned, moving towards the door. Nick struggled to remove his gun from the shoulder holster with his left hand. Nick raised the gun and tried to fire at Jay, who didn't have any difficulty dodging the shots as he ran.

Nick gasped against the pain of the blade in his shoulder, "SASHA!!!" he shouted. 

Sasha's head raised and turned back towards the building as she heard Nick shout her name. Jay ran from the building at full tilt, not pausing to even look at Sasha. Sasha quickly and gently put Anna down and drew her blade, turning and aiming towards Jay, still dashing off. Jay didn't have trouble dodging her attacks either as he ran. Sasha hesitated, looking back at Anna. By the time she'd turned back, Jay had already turned a corner and began running up the walls, jumping back and forth between the two buildings to keep momentum. Sasha grunted in anger and tossed her blade down, running to go check on Nick. Nick stood slowly and shakily, pulling the blade from his shoulder. He dropped the point near the other end of the broken blade and grunted, his metal fingers twisting into a fist to try and keep his mind from the pain. His semblance had kicked in and began healing the wound already.

"This is gonna take a few minutes..." he said. A light shone into the room from outside as a Bullhead lowered to the ground. Nick and Sasha ran out to see Alice land and Mickey jump from the open hatch.

She looked over Anna and walked over to Nick and Sasha, "What happened?!" she demanded. Alice climbed out after Mickey and bent down to pick up Anna, lifting her onto the ship.

Nick frowned, trying to get his bearings, "Jay....Iskelle....Uh..." he stuttered for a moment. Sasha spoke up, "Jay and Anna tracked Iskelle here, and from what we can see, it was a trap...Iskelle wasn't prepared though and was killed in the fight..." she said. Mickey looked at Iskelle's body in the room.

"That doesn't look like a battle wound....That looks more like an execution." she said sternly.

Anna sat up from the back of the ship, putting her hand to her forehead, "It was me...I'm sorry...I didn't think there was any other choice..." she said.

Alice frowned, and tried to push her back onto her back, "You need to rest...We're getting you to the hospital." she said.

Anna brushed Alice's hand away, "No...He didn't even hurt me...He...Got me with some kind of hold...It didn't feel like anything was happening, but I just kinda...Fell asleep." she said.

Nick nodded, "Yeah...That red-eyed thing...It didn't want to hurt her...She should come with us if she can, because I think she may be able to help us bring Jay to his sense-"

"Red eyed thing?!" Mickey interrupted.

Nick was taken aback, "Y-yeah...His eyes turned red and he wasn't himself..." Nick said.

"Oh dear..." Alice said, put her face in one of her hands, rubbing her forehead. Mickey shook her head and began pacing anxiously.

Sasha looked at her, "The...Dark Voice, right? That's what he calls it?" she asked.

Mickey stopped, "Yes...Everyone in the ship...We're going after him." Mickey said in a commanding voice.

"Wait...I dropped my axe...I'll need that..." Anna said. Mickey nodded, waving her hand for everyone to board.

"I'll get that, you guys, in. Now." she said. Mickey ran back into the open room but stopped as soon as she entered it...Anna's axe was in the corner...But someone was standing over Iskelle's body, a large black, round ended cylinder at his side...Mickey drew her fans as the man turned to see her.

* * *

 

Leif muttered angry words to himself as he headed marched around the pier. He wasn't sure what to do...He let his mind stray to his conversation with Iskelle before she ran off;

"Why can't we just  **leave."** she said. They were in their room back in the odd place they'd called home. He hated that place as much as she did...But...

"We can't leave...There is nowhere else we can go....We are now fugitives in hiding, wanted for murder....Alot of it..." he said. She clenched her fist and slammed her hand against the metal wall, ice covering outward like a splash of water frozen instantly.

"We can get out of here though...I know we can!! Together, we could-"

"We could what? Fight off our master? Get out of this steel trap? Be on the run for the rest of our lives?" he interrupted.

Iskelle waved her arms, "Yes!! Xellos isn't here right now....Gods know what he's off preparing or why he has to do it every week.....We can just get the hell out before he's back...Think about it...There's nothing left. We've been found...We're as good as dead already. Don't you get it?! WE ALWAYS WERE!!!" she struggled with every word.

"No...We were chosen. He came for us. Us!!...He could have killed us. But think about it...We're the ones with the power now...We have everything we need right here..." he said. Even he wasn't completely sure of his words. But it was true...It was as much their choice to be there as it was a curse...They could have left before...What difference would it have made...They did what they had to do...By their own volition...He'd always told himself that to make it easy... 'It was their choice,' he thought. 'We could have chosen to let him finish us...But no. We chose to live. And we can't forsake that...' he thought. It was all he could do to keep his head.

Iskelle sat down on the bed, "We were about to graduate...Our whole lives...Would've been perfect...Don't you remember our first winter together?....The sky was practically a shining white...The snow was beautiful and gentle and coated the world in a neat sheet....And we walked along that path in gardens of our town on a week off from school....Don't you remember how happy we were? Snowball fights that you never won...Cute snow angels that were always two different sizes...We had a life before this...What if Xellos hadn't chosen us? Right now, our friends wouldn't be dead. If he hadn't come for us...We wouldn't have been forced to kill them to prove ourselves worthy of staying alive. If we hadn't caught his eye...Everything would be fine...You don't seem to remember, we didn't chose this, we were taken..." she said.

She was shaking...Leif walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. Her body was chilly...It was always chilly...But he preferred her that way...It was something that showed who she was...And he wouldn't have her any other way anyhow.

"Kelly....We don't have any option....What do you think Xellos would do if we went missing? He wouldn't let us live..." he said.

She stood up, shaking him off, "Oh, because we're of such importance!!  **Stop being such an idiot!!!"** she screamed. "We're not an asset!! He never lets us know anything!!! How can you possibly think staying here is a good idea?! We. Are. PUPPETS!! Tools!! Disposable slaves at best!! Wake up and stop being such a useless toy!!" she shouted. Leif bit back his words...He knew what she was going through...This was nothing but anger misdirected and ill formed. She'd always had problems controlling her temper and often said things she didn't mean. He knew that, and was more than willing to forgive her. He leaned his forehead into his hand.

"That doesn't change it....We're not useless here, Kelly...We at least have a location...Even tiny amounts of information can be pivotal to the right people, and we'd be dangerous to this whole place if we got out...He'd kill us and then get out before any force could be brought down on him..." he said. 

She gritted his teeth, "Stop with the fucking nickname!! And no. We could...We wouldn't go to any authorities...We're wanted, remember? We'd just leave.....We'd head for Vacuo....He couldn't find us there...Just...Anywhere...We've got no places left to go...We're helpless little mice trapped behind a man we know nothing about, waiting for a plan we  **also** know nothing about, in a place where we literally cannot even walk a mile...Can't you see it? Or are you too fucking blinded by your **absolute cowardice** to see that we are  **already dead!!** Can we at least....At least try...Try to do something about it..."

She stared with pleading eyes...But he didn't know what to say...Her fists clenched tighter and she began to cry, acknowledging the silence as the answer she'd dreaded.

He sighed and stood, "I'm going to go get us some food from the kitchens...And then maybe...We can just calm down and talk about this...Ok?" he reached out to try and wipe off one of the little icy drops on her cheek, but she turned away from him. He frowned and went out...

She muttered as he left the room, intentionally loud enough for him to hear, "You useless coward..." He walked in silence, trying to keep to the thought...Trying to remember that she was angry...That this would pass...He intentionally got some of Iskelle's favorite things...She loved heated soup and warm bread...Something she would be sure not to freeze immediately, and instead would cool to a perfect temperature in her hands...Warm cocoa and any ice cream with chocolate...He put all of the food on a large tray. He knew she'd probably be sitting in silence again...Normally she was a little angry with herself more than anything, and mostly for snapping at her friends and loved one...But when he got back to their room...She was gone...He put the things on the table, trying to choke down worry...She could have just stepped out...He walked over to the table and put down the tray, glancing over to the bed and noticing something...He walked over and picked up the ring he'd given Iskelle...He'd given it to her a short time after they were taken by Xellos...He'd done it to try and bring her happiness...Make her smile about something, anything...He got down on one knee and everything...She cried then too...And now...Here it was, abandoned...His eyes widened and he grabbed his cylinder, slamming through the door to go after her. 

* * *

 

Although she'd never met him in person, Mickey immediately knew Leif Malladus when she saw him. He stood over Iskelle's body in a solemn form. Leif glanced back at her, but hardly noticed her. His heart beat as though a it was stuck in a vice. He wasn't sure what to do or think...Nothing made sense...Light reflected off the water on the floor, presumably from melted ice...Ice followed her wherever she went...And now it was gone...Her body was no longer covered in the ice cold aura, which dissipated into the cold death, and even her blood began to cool, spilling from the deep slash down the center of her head. He felt his eyes water, but it was an odd feeling, as it stayed liquid on his face...Mickey watched carefully. She saw him release his hand from the large black cylinder he carried and crouch, reaching towards her. Mickey wouldn't let whatever he was doing pass though, and took her opportunity while she had it. She began moving to intercept him and lashed out with her fans spinning on the end of the cord. The wind dust activated and spun the fan in a circle like a saw. Leif looked away from Iskelle and turned, taking his cylinder's handle and turning around again, batting the fan away. The cord retracted as Mickey came close, slashing at the container and forcing Leif to jump away. Mickey turned towards him, putting herself between him and Iskelle's body. Nick, Sasha, and Anna all came to the door of the room, glancing back and forth between Leif. Leif immediately knew he couldn't win...

He put the canister on the floor next to him and raised his arms, "I just came for her...Please...I don't want to fight...Just let me take her body and leave..." he pleaded. He was still slightly numb to the tears streaming down his cheek.

"How did he even sneak past us?!" Sasha exclaimed to herself.

Mickey narrowed her eyes, "I'm afraid we can't do that. We'll be taking her body into custod-"

"Let him take her!!...." Anna spoke out.

Mickey and Leif both looked over at her, but Mickey quickly returned her eyes to Leif, "Anna, we can't-"

"Please Mickey....Just....Let him take her..." she said. Anna breathed in and held her head high as she marched towards Leif. Mickey took a step forward, gasping and desperately wanting to stop her, but she was too close to Leif, and knew he'd get her first if she tried. But Leif didn't make a move, keeping his eyes on Anna. She walked right up to him and looked him in the eyes. "Her last thoughts were of you..." she said...Leif glanced at Iskelle's body.

"It's funny...What people never really understand is that when you kill someone...You can see the last thoughts in their eyes...You can see every detail...I could see she was thinking about you..." she said.

Leif's eyes widened as he looked back, "Y-you killed her...." he muttered.

Anna walked past him and retrieved her axe, water running down the body of the staff, "I'm sorry....I'd like to tell you I didn't mean to....But...."

"It wasn't her fault...She was forced into it...." Sasha insisted.

"Not really..." Anna said as she came back to face Leif, "I admit....I hated her. And sure, I didn't want to...But there was also a part of me that **did** want to...A part of me that was just too easy to give into...It was a mistake." Anna explained. Leif's anger at Anna subsided. He knew what she was talking about...It was the same piece of Iskelle that drove her to accept Xellos' offer years ago...The same part of Iskelle that drove her to run off tonight...Anna somehow reminded him of Iskelle a little..."So I know it isn't much...But I want you to take her body..." Anna said. Mickey had also calmed down at this point...Both Anna and Leif turned to her. "Please, Mickey...We don't need to fight them...They don't deserve it..." Mickey considered the options. After a minute of consideration, she stepped aside, lowering her fans. Leif took the canister and clipped it to the high power magnets on his back and it stayed firm as he walked over to Iskelle and past Mickey. He picked her up and walked to the door, looking over Nick and Sasha. Sasha had begun to reach for her sword, but Nick kept his eyes on Leif's. Leif turned back to Anna and she nodded before he walked away. Anna let out a sigh and sheathed her axe. Mickey turned to Anna, and narrowed her eyes and walking towards her. Anna faced Mickey as she put her hands on her hips, standing at her full height. Anna tried to match her, standing to her full height as well, but didn't compare, and her cat ears twitched agitatedly. Mickey let the silence drag on intentionally before taking a deep breath and opening her mouth. Anna was prepared for a tongue lashing, but it didn't sound. Instead Mickey let the breath out in a sigh and wrapped her arms around Anna, pulling her against her in a hug.

"You shouldn't do things like that...If he had reacted in anger to finding out about that, he could have hurt you or kill you, and no one in this room would have been able to stop him..." she said. After a minute, she held Anna at arms length, hands on her shoulders, "But....That was brave....And honorable of you....So I'll let it slide this time." she said. Anna sighed in relief and they walked out towards the bullhead. Nick and Sasha stared wide eyed at the two.

"Is that what just happened?" Sasha muttered.

"Now....We've got to go after Jay, wherever he went. We can't let that thing remain loose....It's got very little in the way of regard for others in any way." Mickey explained to everyone gathered.

"So you've had experience with whatever that was in Jay's head?" Nick asked.

Mickey nodded, "It was quite by accident, after Jay's entrance exam. We were training him for Beacon, and in the early days, he was a bit overzealous, shall we say...He pushed too hard and passed out. His eyes turned both red and gold and I kinda new something was wrong, so I ended the match." she said. Anna nodded, "About the end of the fight...That's when it happened....He sorta....Stood there for a minute...And his were all red when I turned to him..." she explained. "Well according to the readings on the scroll, his brain chemistry started getting strange during the fight, then after he passed out, it just went completely crazy....Then when he woke up, it was normal again, but kinda...Darker. His head was full of adrenaline, and the aura readout was strange....It wasn't his. It was as if he had a different soul all of a sudden." Mickey said.

"So it's not really Jay?" Sasha asked.

Mickey shrugged, "As far as I can tell, no. It's probably tied in with his semblance. His eyes change, so does his soul, all based on the way his head works..." she said.

Sasha chuckled a little, "I think I read a really old book like that once...Yeah....I remember now....It was called....Uh....Oh, come on....Oh yeah!! Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." she said.

Nick frowned, "Where did you get a book that old?" he asked.

"Oh, this little place downtown...Run by a Puma faunus I believe....He's apparently got 'Every book under the sun,' and that one just looked good." she said.

Nick nodded, "Alright, so this thing isn't Jay...Which means it's likely to do things Jay wouldn't do...So we just need to find a few places Jay wouldn't go." Nick reasoned.

Alice was sitting on the edge of the hatch listening to the conversation, "Well when we first met him, he tried to kill me for standing between him and the door after I brought lunch...So we should probably find him quickly." she chimed in.

Mickey nodded, "Alright, we're outta here. Alice, take us up, we're looking for anything damaged, destroyed, or out of place..." she said. Alice got into the cockpit and everyone climbed in, the door sealing behind them. Mickey went up to the front seat with her and the bullhead rose up and flew out over Vale.

* * *

 

Wind blew hard against Nick as he sat in the open door of the bullhead, flying over Vale. There were few pilots with Alice's skill, who could successfully pilot such a craft with an open door. Nick held tight onto the bar on the inside of the door. Sasha held the bar on the other side, and Anna held Sasha's arm to stay standing. They watched carefully for anything that would mark Jay's recent presence, but so far had seen nothing. Nick had his mother's gun in his right hand, after his sword was destroyed, he decided to attempt to use it right handed, so as to make the most of all his remaining weapons. Suddenly something caught his eye. A scene below, with two cops squabbling with a man that appeared quite wealthy.

"There!!" Nick said, pointing. Sasha and Anna looked where he was pointing. Mickey stood up and followed his arm as well.

"Are you sure?" Mickey asked above the wind.

Nick nodded, "Yeah...Call it a gut feeling. This looks promising." he said as he pushed himself off the edge into a freefall. Mickey sighed.

Anna looked back at her, "Perhaps you guys should keep flying over, see if you can catch him...We'll follow Nick's....Gut feeling." she said as she and Sasha leapt after him. She nodded as she closed the hatch, smoothing out the ride. Nick landed hard, bringing up his aura to protect him. Sasha and Anna fell soon after and they ran over to the scene. The cops looked over at the three of them as they approached and laughed to themselves.

Nick looked to the wealthy man first, "What happened?" he inquired.

 The cops waved Nick off, "We got this covered kids, go home before you miss your curfew." he said facetiously. Sasha gritted her teeth and took a step towards them, but Anna stepped in front of her, shaking her head.

Nick pulled his scroll out and pulled up his Beacon Student Credentials, "Get lost assholes, we're taking over from here. We've got someone to find and you'll just slow us down." he said.

The cops chuckled at this, "Students...Not impressed...You don't have any jurisdiction here unless otherwise authorized by Beacon staff. Now get goi-"

He was interrupted however by the sound of the head of Sasha's claymore slamming into the ground, shattering the concrete below her into tiny chunks, "He said. Get lost." she said aggressively, glaring at the cops. Both of the cops completely lost their nerve at the sight of the large sword and immediately began walking away, breaking into a run when they reached the corner. Sasha snickered, "Pussies..." she muttered.

Nick smiled at her, "Thank you sweetheart." he said.

Sasha smiled back and sheathed her sword, "We can't have any delays. Let's find Jay already." she said.

Nick nodded and turned back to the wealthy man, whose eyes were wide open and his mouth was dropped.

"What happened?" Nick demanded.

The man stuttered for a few seconds, "T-this red headed kid just appeared in the road in front of my car....He just....Appeared....Like he fell from the sky...And then when I stopped, he pointed an odd shaped gun at me and told me to get out...Then he stole my car!!" he said.

Nick sighed and Sasha's jaw dropped, "He stole an expensive car?!" she said in a shocked tone.

Nick raised his head, "Which way did he go." he demanded further. The man turned and pointed behind him, "That way...He took a left turn about three blocks from here..." he said. Nick nodded and turned to the team.

Anna stepped forward, "Thank you. You may go now. We'll return your car and get that kid back where he belongs, we assure you. We'll contact you again when we've found your car..." she said in a reassuring voice. He nodded and the team started moving in the direction he'd pointed.

"Joyriding, team-attacking, red-eyed fucker..." Sasha muttered angrily under her breath.

Nick looked at her, "Let's just focus on finding him first." he said. Sasha sighed.

"I don't get it though...Why didn't he just kill that guy, if he's got such a disregard for life?" Anna asked.

Nick considered this for a minute, "I don't think his control is perfect...I don't think either of them ever has full control. That's why the Dark Voices' thoughts will slip in with Jays sometimes...Before he escaped, I mentioned you, Anna, while trying to keep him there, and his eye showed traces of gold....Maybe our Jay's got just enough of a foot in the door to keep that creature from killing any civilians..." Nick speculated.

Anna caught up with Nick as they began to run, "So does that mean I can bring him out of it?" she asked.

Nick nodded, "I think so...He may be oblivious about the subject, but somewhere in that thick skull he cares for you...And we can use that." he said. They turned the corner and looked around glanced around. Somehow, it was very apparent which way Jay had gone. There were skid marks on the ground where he turned another corner in a wide arc at high speeds, and another car had swerved to avoid him, and was now up on the sidewalk a little ways away. Anna's scroll buzzed and she pulled it out and answered Mickey's call.

"I found him..." she said simply.

"Where?" Anna said as Nick and Sasha came over to listen.

"Not too far from where you are now actually....Turn two blocks...I just watched him get out of a damn expensive crimson car after driving in like a lunatic...I doubt he was wearing any seat belt, and at those speeds...I'm gonna have to have a damn talk with him about that." she said, sounding annoyed. 

Anna frowned, "Where did he get out at?" she asked.

"A restaurant...Looks as expensive as that car....Can't see the sign.....Go after him, you can't miss it..." she said. Anna hung up the call and they ran after the skid marks. They turned left again where there were more skid marks and what looked like shocked pedestrians all over and saw the restaurant in question. The red car was parked haphazardly against the curb and there was another clear skid mark, signalling he'd turned the car at the last second and slid into that position.

Nick shook his head, "Amatuer." he muttered. Sasha smacked his shoulder and they walked over to the door of the restaurant. The walls on the inside were painted gold and the ceiling was high. A waiter approached them and asked if they had a reservation.

Nick shook his head, "No...We're looking for a kid with red hair and red eyes...Black coat?" he asked.

The waiter frowned, "Oh, him...He came in a few minutes ago and paid good money to get a seat immediately." the waiter glanced around, "I think he might be armed though... I've already contacted the authorities about him..." he whispered. Anna and Sasha shared a look.

Nick shook his head, "No no...Call them off...We were sent from Beacon Academy to apprehend him. Let us handle it from here." he insisted.

The man's eyes widened, "Huntsman?...Alright then...He's over in the corner..." he said. Nick nodded and thanked the man, tipping him generously and insisting again he call the police off...Afterwards, they weaved their way through the tables to find Jay in the corner, calmly eating. They glanced back and forth between eachother and approached with apprehension. Jay didn't bother looking up at them, but instead chuckled and continued eating, as though he was too good to notice them.

"Alright Jay...Make this easy on us..." Nick said as they walked up. Jay raised his head and smirked...His red eyes shown in the golden light...Nick frowned, but tried not to show Jay any emotion...His gut was already telling him how this would go...

* * *

 

Jay made no move to stand, just regarded the three teammates with a uncharacteristic smirk. He chuckled for a moment, crossing his arms and leaning back. Nick raised his gun and fired twice. Jay smiled a bit more brightly as people began to scream and scatter from the restaurant. Nick made no move to stop them, just wanting them to be out of the way for what he suspected was going to happen. Jay laughed again.

Sasha stepped forward, "Come on. Let's go already. You're not getting out...You can't beat all three of us." she said. Nick looked sidelong at her, gesturing for her to hush. Jay glanced at Anna and his smug grin returned. He raised his leg under the table and kicked it upwards. It swung over and Nick and Sasha jumped back to avoid it. When they looked back, Jay had his tonfas out and was standing on the back of the booth seats. He looked down at the team and smiled happily as though preparing to play a game. Nick raised his gun in his right hand, Sasha unsheathed her claymore and Anna drew her axe. Jay carefully appraised their weapons and stances as he'd done dozens of times in dozens of matches...Nick was confident in their abilities as a team, but Jay was a leader for his mind...He knew as much about each of them and their abilities in combat as they did about themselves. And in this state, they knew little about how he would move. Right now, he had every advantage.

Jay laughed again and his smile brightened as he lifted his hand and pointed towards them, "Ya'll fuckers are goin' down." he said, giving a thumbs down. Sasha aimed towards Jay, and he glanced over at her. Nick wasted no time firing. But Jay dodged, leaning back slightly. Sasha began to fire as well, but Jay quickly hopped from seat to seat, stopping short of leading shots and jumping forward again out of their shots path. He laughed as he jumped back again onto the original seat he stood on, then jumped clear over their shots, landing in the middle of the three of them. Anna moved first this time, swinging deftly for Jay, but he ducked. Sasha slashed for his lower back, but he ducked low and kicked back, slamming his foot into Sasha's stomach and throwing her back. Anna swung again and Jay stepped back out of her path. Nick moved back a little and began to shoot through Anna's formation, careful not to hit her, but trying to hit Jay, who blocked attack after attack from Anna, who's axe swung dizzying circles around her body. Instead, he carefully grabbed her by shoulders and swung her around, pushing her out of his way and moving towards Nick. The tonfas swung around to extend outward from his arm and he swung them quickly. Nick held his arm up to block. "No sword Nick? Oh that's right, I broke it!! And now I'm gonna break all you fuckers to boot." he said smugly before jumping back out of Sasha's way.

Nick raised his hand to stop her, but it wasn't any use. Jay's eyes carefully picked apart her every move, moving under and back from all her wide arched swing, and easily sidestepping her shots. Sasha gritted her teeth, waiting for Anna to jump back in and swung down from over herself. Jay smiled casually as he raised his tonfas over his head, stopping her attack without difficulty. Sasha's eyes widened, and Nick stopped. 'He's never been able to stop that attack so easily...' Nick thought. Jay spun as Anna came close, letting the blade drop in between himself and Anna. Jay brought his tonfas around and slammed them into Sasha's shoulder, shoving her with incredible force into Anna. Anna stumbled back into a table and Sasha dropped her blade. Nick raised his guns again, but Jay dodged quickly and placed his tofas under Sasha's shoulders, lifting her over his head and tossing her through a window. Sasha's aura raised to keep her safe, but she quickly had to roll when Jay followed by throwing her blade at her. It stuck fast in the soft cement. Jay then came leaping out of the window, rolling to his feet and avoiding Nick's shots. Sasha stood and pulled her blade free of the ground, swinging towards Jay's head, but he swiftly jumped back, flipping to his feet. Nick jumped from the window and came to stand next to Sasha. They both aimed towards Jay and he laughed again.

Sasha grumbled, "I don't get it...He's not fighting seriously..." she said.

Nick nodded, "He's treating this like a game. He's basically a little kid without any limitations, playing a game as violent as he wants...Staying up all night and breaking all his toys..." Nick said.

"Haha, is that what you think of me? I like that...Yeah...I'm gonna have my fun breaking all of you." he muttered to them. Suddenly his smile vanished as he jumped back. Anna came out of nowhere, jabbing towards him with her longsword.

Nick raised his hand to Sasha, "Hold on...Watch carefully, let's take positions on either side and wait for openings to support Anna." Nick said quickly. Anna wasn't wasting time with formation though. She swung quickly and violently, Jay moved back farther and farther, jumping onto one of the cars still present.

Anna jumped even higher and brought her blade down. Jay stopped her attack, but not with nearly the fortitude as he did Sasha's earlier. He shoved her back as he spied Nick and Sasha taking their formation on either side. Anna landed on her feet on the ground and Jay jumped after her, out of the way of Nick and Sasha's ammo. He pushed back, trying to attack her, but Anna was far quicker now. Her eyes were filled with conviction and she moved with determination and surety. Her sword easily sliced through Jay's pattern of attacks, erratic though they were. Suddenly Jay also had to deal with Sasha and Nick on either side, shooting through his attacks. Jay sped up, turning in circles as he'd seen Mickey do, shooting at both Nick and Sasha, but also having to deal with Anna's fierce onslaught. His shots missed on occasion as he couldn't aim before Anna's next attack, and Sasha and Nick supported her well. One of the shots hit Jay's left shoulder, and another scraped the back of his right leg, and he had to jump back from Anna, leaping up and back over the car that was there, putting distance between himself and the team. Sasha and Nick stood next to each other again as Anna moved around to keep him here. They clashed again, Jay's attacks not faltering any, and they appeared evenly matched.

Sasha shook her head, "I don't get it...We hit him..." she said.

Nick nodded, "We hit him with the wrong shots...His head is in pretty much complete control of his adrenaline levels, which I'm guessing he's using carefully...Pain has zero meaning to him in this state...As long as he can stand on that leg, he will, and his aura will protect him from the damage in his shoulder. We've got to immobilize him completely..." he said as he switched to the ice canister.

Sasha nodded and watched Anna keep up with Jay, "Wow...She's really coming down on him...I've never seen her like this, except against maybe Mickey..." she said.

"At this point, not only can we be assured he won't hurt her...But he couldn't either way." Nick responded. They moved around, watching carefully for an opportunity...Nick analyzed their moves, but couldn't find any pattern...They moved in circles around eachother, and there was no opportunity to hit Jay without hitting Anna either. 

Sasha watched in amazement, "Are they fighting or dancing ? I can't tell..." she said.

Nick shook his head slowly, "Neither can I..." he answered. Anna switched back and forth between longsword and poleaxe with flowing grace and Jay's movements became crisp and circular, while keeping their jagged snap and erratic nature. They moved close to eachother, almost intimately, without touching or striking one another. Jay could find no opportunity in Anna's attacks to jump back, and Anna couldn't slow down or let up, lest he gain an advantage. Neither Nick or Sasha could discern how long past watching them exchange deadly slashes and potentially bone cracking blows...

But suddenly Jay faltered, and Anna's jab went through, Jay's aura barely keeping the blade from piercing right through his stomach. The stabbing motion threw Jay, who landed on his back hard. Anna didn't hesitate to jump over, and put one foot on his chest. His heartbeat was fast and his breathing was heavy. Anna also looked out of breath, but Nick and Sasha watched, still mesmerized by the fight. Anna lowered the point of her blade to Jay's neck and he gritted his teeth. She sighed and shook her hair out of her face. Her cat ears twitched as she slowed her breathing.

"Switch..." she commanded. Jay's eyes widened, the golden cracks still evident in his right eye. He chuckled, but stopped when Anna's blade came a little closer to his skin.

His expression turned serious, "I'm having fun...Why would I want to do that..." he said.

Anna smirked, "Because your life depends on it..." she said. Jay closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing and heart rate from his adrenaline use...

"You wouldn't kill me..." he said shakily.

Anna raised an eyebrow, "You care to bet on that? The consequence is your life..." she said, scraping the edge against his neck. He tried to steel his nerves, but his eyes widened nervously.

"You wouldn't-" he was interrupted when the edge of the sword drew down his skin ever so gently, drawing a fine line close to the large artery in his neck...He stuttered and watched her carefully, but had already lost his surety.

"FINE!! DON'T KILL ME." he shouted. His eyes closed and his breath faded to a slow and steady rate.

Anna moved away from him, sheathing her sword, "He's asleep... Feel free to call Mickey over..." she said casually. Nick pulled his scroll out and went to sit next to Jay, checking to see if he really was asleep. Sasha grabbed Anna by the shoulders.

"That.....Was.....AMAZING!!!" she said, grinning ear to ear. Anna shook her head, smiling and turning a little red. "How did you do that?!?!" she asked excitedly.

Anna shrugged, "It turns out....You were right...." she said. Sasha looked confused for a second before it struck her.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around Anna, easily lifting her from the ground, but not crushing her, "AWWW!!! Our team kitten is in love!!!" she said happily, putting Anna down, still grinning.

Anna laughed a little, "Yeah....And as it happens...I'm willing to do anything for the ones I love..." she said.

Sasha nodded, "Good...It seems he does you good, when he's not red eyed...But you're going to be just as helpful to him, keeping him in order. He's lucky you're looking out for him." she said confidently.

Anna nodded, "Yeah...I'm certainly not going to let this happen again..." she said, looking exasperated.

* * *

 

Jay woke and coughed a little. His stomach hurt intensely, and he remembered being caught by Anna's attack. That's right...He tripped himself. So Anna would have the opportunity she needed. He struggled to open his eyes, but could feel the shifting around him signaling he was on a bullhead. He pushed himself to sit up. His hands were cuffed behind him and he fiddled with the cuffs for a minute before realizing why, then stopped trying. He glanced around, still trying to get his bearings. Nick lay asleep against the side of the bullhead, Sasha asleep in his arms. Then he looked over and noticed Anna asleep next to him...He wondered how long they'd been flying for and almost tried to reach for his scroll absentmindedly, before remembering the handcuffs and just sighed.

Mickey glanced back from the cockpit, "He's up..." she muttered to Alice. "Hey kid...You all golden eyed again?" she asked casually. Jay thought for a moment and nodded. "Good...You caused her a good deal of distress with them red eyes." she said, nodding down to Anna. Jay sat back against the side of the bullhead and looked at Anna again. Her cat ears twitched for a moment. He was tempted to reach out and touch them, but even if he wanted to, his hands were still cuffed. But after twitching again, Anna's eyes opened a little and she stretched, sitting up. Jay watched her for a moment...When she'd fully opened her eyes, she looked over at Jay, who looked away. Mickey looked back, "Hey...Don't you be looking away. Face her. Or you'll face me. Take your pick." she insisted.

Anna turned back, "It's ok Mickey...I'll talk with him..." she said. Jay turned back to Anna and tried to conjure something to say, but no words came to him...It was quite a disturbing feeling. He stuttered a little for a few seconds. Anna smiled kindly at him, "Take your time..." she assured. Jay turned red at her smile. He gulped, trying to think...But he struggled to grasp any. They were either silent or too loud to hear.

Finally he decided on something to say, "Uh....I'm....Sorry..." he said.

Anna sighed, "Thank you, I suppose...But I understand what happened....It wasn't you..." she said.

Jay raised his head, "That thing is as much me as I am..." he said.

Anna shook her head, "Now that's a lie...You've said it yourself...The whole reason you locked that away is because you knew that that wasn't what you want to be...And besides...I know that's not you...I know you tried to stop it..." she said. Jay frowned and looked up at her, a little confused. She nodded, "I know it was you making sure no one died....And I also know it was you who caused his slip up...And gave me the opportunity to win..." she said confidently. Jay's eyes widened and he remembered more clearly...That's right...He saw it...He felt as though he was watching a movie...She was fighting...And he reached out and flicked the image of his own leg and...Tripped himself. And he wasn't sure how, still...He'd never had that much control over that part of him while dormant...He looked up at her again and she saw the look of realization on his face. "Exactly...I know you didn't mean for this to happen...And I forgive you..." she said. She tentatively reached towards his hand, and he watched her hand, but didn't recoil. She put her hand over his and he took her hand in his after a moment. "You used to hate people touching you..." she said.

Jay turned a little more red, "I still hate people touching me....Just....Not you." he muttered.

Anna raised an eyebrow, "Really? You'd let me put my hand on your shoulder? Or hold your hand?" she asked, sounding almost amused.

Jay sighed, "Yeah...Those barriers are stupid, and I know I should drop them...I also realize the best way to do this is step by step...And a good first step, or at least one I'm comfortable with...Would be dropping them for you..." he said. Anna smiled brightly and giggled. Jay wasn't sure how to respond to this.

"Jay, are you trying to say something?" she asked.

Mickey glanced back, "Yeah Jay, are you trying to say something?" she muttered. Jay glared at her and she chuckled, turning her attention forward again. Anna rolled her eyes and turned back to Jay, who was still glaring towards Mickey. She giggled again and reached over, moving his face back to look at her. He turned a bright shade of red at this though, and fought the urge to look anywhere but at her.

Jay considered the question for a moment, "Uh...Well...If I was...Saying anything, it would be that...I'm comfortable around you...Uh...I mean...I'm comfortable...Near you...Or...In your general proximity...Or even....Uh...In contact with you...I find that...Despite my previous wishes to avoid contact with people, that...I'm comfortable being in contact with you..." he stuttered.

He tried to put together some sort of speech in his head, but nothing was clear. Anna scooted closer to him intentionally, and leaned on him gently, putting her arms around his right arm and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"So you're comfortable with this then?" she asked. Jay turned red and nodded. All of a sudden she pulled her left hand out from behind him and held up his handcuffs. His eyes widened at them and he stuttered a minute. She reached over and took his other shoulder with one hand, "And this?" she asked. Jay looked to the side at her and nodded again, flexing his hands and pulling his arms out from around his back. She leaned forward with her hands on his shoulders and kissed him for a few seconds. Jay turned more red and his eyes got wide for a few seconds. She leaned back, "And...That?" she asked, also blushing a little. The red color from Jay's face subsided after a second and his expression turned a little serious. Anna wondered momentarily if he was angry with her for that, but then he put his arms around her and pulled her against him, kissing her back for a minute.

When he released her and leaned back, his face was no longer red, and his eyes shown completely gold, "I am more than ok with that." he said. Anna was slightly dazed for a minute before shaking her head clear.

"So...You wouldn't be opposed to doing that more in the future? Perhaps...A lot?" Anna asked.

Jay thought about it for a moment and smiled a little, "No...In fact, I think I would quite like it...Although...Perhaps it could be...Uh...Maybe...Under the title of...Boyfriend?" he asked.

Anna smiled and nodded, "I would be happy to call you my boyfriend..." she answered.

Jay glanced around a little, "Uh...As I understand it...Under the standards of the arrangement...Could I take that to mean that...I can call you my girlfriend?" he asked.

Anna nodded, "Yes, I would like that very much...I think it's cute that you're so nervous about this." she said.

Jay turned red, "W-well I've spent most of my life away from people between kingdoms...I'm not completely familiar with social interaction..." he said.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Well I can help with that..." she said, smirking a little.

"...Uh...So...Could.....Like, I'm not sure...How to ask...But...Could we like...Do that kissing thing again? Just to get used to it?" he asked, smiling a little.

Anna giggled at the question, "Weeeell. If it's for thaaaat." she said a bit sarcastically, smiling. Jay lifted her chin and pulled her close again, and she put her arms around her shoulders and they gave another kiss for a few moments.

Mickey glanced back at them, "Breath, kids...Gotta keep those brain cells..." she said before turning to Alice, "I so called it." she said.

Alice shook her head and smiled, "Yes, yes you did...Several times, I believe." she responded, keeping her eyes forward. Anna and Jay released eachother and Anna smiled, sitting next to him and putting her arms around his, leaning her head on his shoulder. Mickey looked back and saw them and smiled to herself a satisfactory smile. "We'll be at Beacon in a few minutes..." Alice said.

Mickey nodded, "Yeah...And then we'll have to wake up the ship- uh...Couples." she corrected herself.

Alice shook her head again, "Let's just straighten this shit out quickly and go home..." she said.

* * *

 

Leif knelled besides the body of his lover. He still wasn't sure what to do...Nothing seemed right...Nothing fit. It was as if the world was no longer what it was supposed to be. But then again, it had only ever once been that way...The day he proposed to her. And now everything felt torn to bits. His heartbeat felt irregular and he felt sick to his stomach. He considered what he should do...Suddenly his eyes widened as a sense of dread washed over him. He stood and turned, finding himself face to face with Xellos.

"What happened." he demanded without hesitation. He stepped forward and Leif stepped between him and Iskelle's body. Although it made his heart pound with fear to do so. Xellos looked him over and observed his demeanor. His Semblance flared and the crystals formed. Leif didn't move. After a second or two, Xellos sighed and the shadows retracted. He walked up to Leif, "Move aside. Let me examine her body." he commanded. Leif faltered and stepped aside. Xellos' tail swished behind his cloak and he stepped up to Iskelle's body. He knelt down and looked carefully over her body, examining the gash down her head. "Troubling..." he muttered.

Leif gritted his teeth, "Is that all you've got to say? You caused this!!!  **You're** the reason she's dead!!!!" he shouted. Xellos glanced at him for a moment before returning his attention to the body.

"Who did this..." he demanded again.

"The faunus from that student team we encountered. The girl with purple hair." he snapped angrily.

Xellos sighed and stood up. "Why did she leave the ship." he demanded. Leif's anger overtook him suddenly and he pulled his cylinder off his back, swinging towards Xellos suddenly. A shadow came up and formed a large hand, grabbing the cylinder mid swing. Xellos flicked his wrist and wrenched the cylinder up from Leif's grip. The shadows shifted around him and placed the cylinder gently on the other side of himself. Leif breathed heavily, unsure of what to do. Xellos reached into his cloak and pulled out bottle of Dust. He undid the cap on the bottle and extended his arm over Iskelle.

"DON'T YOU DARE BURN HER!!!" he shouted, trying to move in close. But the shadows flared violently, forming a vicious array of spikes between Xellos and Leif, while another shadow extended out to take hold of the cylinder, ensuring Leif could do nothing to stop him...

The dust fell from the bottle over Iskelle's body...But when it landed on her...Ice began to cover her. The ice flowed over her slowly, into the cut in her head. After a moment, her whole body was covered. Leif relaxed as he watched. Shadows moved under Iskelle's body and lifted her, allowing the ice to encase her completely. Leif began to cry as he watched, and some of the stray ice dust, blown by winds on the water, froze the tears on his face. Xellos glanced at him and retracted his shadows, then knelt again, placing his palm against the ice. Shadows began to blossom outward from his hand, wrapping around the ice, completely covering it in black diamond. More shadow came out and wrapped it in another layer of diamond before he lifted his hand away. As he did, he left a handprint in shifting carbon. He turned to Leif and waved him close. Leif tentatively walked over and Xellos suddenly took hold of his hand. Lief tried to pull away but Xellos' glared at him, suddenly silencing him and pulling his hand down. Xellos had Leif press his hand into the shifting print, and the sand-like carbon wrapped around his hand, over the form of his hand. Xellos released him and Leif pulled his hand away. The print of his hand hardened into black diamond in the shape of his hand. Leif examined the large crystal that now encased Iskelle's body. Xellos stood and walked over to Leif's cylinder and took the handle, inputting a combination on the trigger and retrieving a needle designed to freeze whatever it pierced from the inside. He handed it to Leif and knelt down, softening the crystal at the top of the diamond.

"Sign her name." he commanded. Leif's eyes widened as he knelt to write 'Iskelle' in the soft carbon sand. He wasn't sure what was going on...Xellos had never acted like this. He wasn't sure what was going on. He signed her name and Xellos hardened the crystal as ice dust from the needle froze over the signature, making it appear like a name carved in ice over the crystal. Xellos turned and began to walk away. Leif almost tried to stop him before he stopped himself. "I'm sorry for your loss." Xellos muttered. Leif dropped the needle in surprise. "Now if you'll excuse me...I'll have to leave immediately again. This must be reported." he said.

Leif raised his head, "What? Reported? To whom?" he inquired.

Xellos began walking again, "That's none of your concern." He began to take a run and leapt over the side of the ship. Leif's eyes widened and he went to the side of the boat and looked out over it...But he was gone...Without so much as a ripple on the waves. **  
**

* * *

The door of Team JNAS' dorm room slammed suddenly off its hinges as Mickey kicked with generous force. It flew across the room and almost went right out the window.

"GOOD MORNING!!!" she called as she walked in. Sasha sat up, no longer shocked by Mickey's sudden entrances. Nick rolled over in his hammock and hung his feet off the edge, sitting there looking over the scene. Anna climbed down from hers immediately though and stood for a minute, slightly dazed. Alice walked in behind her and sighed, looking at the door on the ground.

Nick also glanced at it, "That's gonna take a good half hour to fix, Mickey..." he muttered.

Mickey shrugged, "That's nothing. I brought breakfast!!" she said, holding up her large basket.

Mickey then turned to Anna, "Could you wake the dead for me so we can eat?" she asked. Anna nodded and walked over to Jay's bed and leaned down, gently kissing him on the lips...He stirred nearly immediately, and Sasha's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"WHAT?! WHAT?! OH MY GODS....WHAT?!" she shouted. Jay sat up and pulled Anna closer to steal another kiss for a moment.

Sasha fell back on the bed and Nick dropped down from his hammock, "When did this happen?!" he inquired.

Jay rubbed his eyes, "Yesterday afternoon....After I woke up on the bullhead, Anna and I had a discussion about what happened....And then this kinda....Happened....It was quite sudden." he muttered, still half asleep.

Anna nodded, still a little red, but smiling, "Yeah....We decided we wanted to be boyfriend/girlfriend...And we kissed..." she said.

Sasha jumped from her bed, looking furious, "AND I MISSED IT?!?!" she screamed.

"You were asleep." Jay muttered. She shouted incoherently and picked up the door, violently tossing it through the window. It flew a few dozen yards and almost landed on a student, but was off, and just splintered to pieces as it landed.

Mickey walked over and patted her on the back, "I'm sorry you missed it.....It was quite adorable...." she said.

Sasha slumped back on the bed, " **You**  got to see it, Mickey? Now that's just not fair..." she said.

Mickey frowned, "Hey, you may be Anna's best friend, but that one's my boy. It's  **completely**  fair..." she responded, handing her basket to Alice, who was helping Nick serve breakfast. Jay sat on the edge of his bed and Anna went to sit next to him, lacing her hand with his.

"So...How's that dark voice of yours?" Mickey asked.

Jay placed his glasses over his eyes with one hand, "I can't hear him...He hasn't spoken a word since I woke up....And while that's pretty normal from just regaining control, it feels different this time....More absent....I don't think he'll be having any control anymore..." Jay said, smiling.

Mickey grinned brightly, "I betcha that's because of her." she said, nodding towards Anna. Anna's cat ears twitched and she leaned her head on Jay's shoulder.

"I would wager your bet is very probable..." he chuckled.

Nick glanced over his shoulder, "Well you seem much happier about that...Didn't that dark voice give you all sorts of perks for controlling your head?" he asked.

Jay nodded, "Of course, but I'm not sure that part has changed...As far as I can tell, he can't interfere with my actions, but when I look through my head, I can still recall the things that I hid away in that part of my head...So perhaps the only change is in the balance of control..." he conjectured.

Nick shrugged, "Your head, your rules..." he muttered. Jay turned to Mickey as Alice was handing out the plates. Anna sat up straight and accepted hers as Alice sat next to her. Nick went to sit next to Sasha.

"But I don't think that's the only reason you're here today, is it Mickey." Jay said.

Mickey shook her head, "Your perception's still good....That's not all I came for..." she confirmed, nodding towards Alice.

Alice cleared her throat, "Yesterday while Nick, Sasha, and Anna went after Jay, we quickly went to track down Leif...We tracked him to a freighter far out in the ocean....We've marked down the coordinates and plan to turn them in...To Ozpin." she explained.

Nick raised an eyebrow, "So that's why you couldn't come down and help? If Mickey had jumped in, that fight would have been over quickly...." Nick said.

Mickey chuckled and nudged at Sasha's side, "But then our ship might not have come to fruition...We trusted you three....Or Anna...To finish it well enough." she said.

Sasha frowned at her, " **I** didn't get to see the blooming ship....And he was hammering us pretty badly back there...." she said.

Nick shrugged, "As a team leader, we couldn't expect less from him. But really...Did you doubt we'd win? Jay's good, and was pretty intimate knowledge of our style....But he couldn't win...Not against all of us....Especially with Anna. He may be a team leader, but he's not Mickey, for Monty's sakes...." Nick said, putting his arm around Sasha's shoulder.

Jay looked around nervously, "Uh...Actually, Nick....Um...I'm not..." he muttered.

Nick raised an eyebrow again and sat forward, "Hm?" he asked.

Jay cleared his throat, "After yesterday evening, I've come to the conclusion that I am unfit as a leader of this team, and resign my position." he said. Everyone went silent...Mickey stuttered for a minute and Alice looked at him with shock. Nick looked as though he was processing what Jay had said and Sasha appeared as though she wasn't sure of what she heard. Jay looked from person to person, a little confused. "..............What?" he asked.

At the sound of the question, the room was in uproar all of a sudden. Jay sat wide eyed, unsure of what to pay attention to. Everyone was on his feet and ranting about things that he couldn't hear over anyone else.

He raised his hands defensively, "ENOUGH!!!...." he shouted over them. They went silent again. Jay sighed, "Nick, as team leader, you can go first..." he started. Everyone sat back down and Nick stayed on his feet, "I don't understand why you're making this decision...You had a bad day and made some bad choices...That doesn't make you a bad leader..." he said.

Jay rolled his eyes, "Actually that's exactly what makes someone a bad leader. Your turn is done. Sasha, do you have anything to say?" he asked.

Sasha stood as Nick sat back down, "Of  **course** I've got something to say....You're being an idiot!!! You're a great leader. Nick has his abilities, you've got yours, and they work together. And now you're tearing apart a system you practically created." she said.

Jay chuckled, "Whoa, careful Sasha, it almost sounded like you were giving me a compliment for a second..." Jay said facetiously.

Sasha gritted her teeth, "Would you fuckin' quit with the sarcasm for a few seconds?!" she shouted.

Mickey grabbed her shoulder and gently but forcefully pulled her back to her seat, "As a former teacher, and your guardian, I would also like to state that this is a terrible idea...Sasha's right. You guys have a team dynamic, and this could tear it apart...You can't make a foolish decision like that..." she said. Alice nodded in agreement, "You're putting too much blame on yourself for something that you should be owning up to, and-"

"I thought I  **am** owning up to it....That's what I'm trying to do right now...I stole a car and went for a joyride....It's clear I'm not a fit leader here...Perhaps I will be with proper training and control, but would it not be best to step away from it until then?" he asked.

Alice shook her head, "No...You should be owning up to it by helping your team forward, and this is hindering it." she explained.

Mickey raised her hands, "How about we let the most important person say her piece?" she said, then gestured to Anna.

Anna looked up and cleared her throat, "Jay, I can't help but agree with everyone here...You're a great team leader...Nick has his ability...But you're also necessary if we're to move on." she said. Jay opened his mouth to speak, but she put her hand over it quickly, "Think about it....Think about where we are now...We now have Xellos' potential location, or at the very least, we've got Leif. Yes, you made a mistake, but Alice and Sasha are right...This is  **not** the time to punish yourself. We've got to find Xellos or Leif...And bring them in for their crimes. And Nick is a great leader, but you're also instrumental here as a leader, not a follower. You may not believe it, but not only do you two work well together, but  **you** work better as a leader yourself...I think that if you were to give up this position, it would harm your performance..." she finished.

Jay sighed, "If you guys really think I'm that great a leader...You're right. I can't go making decisions that might damage our abilities at this juncture. Alright...I guess that means we're going to begin plans to find and capture this freighter, eh Mickey?" he asked.

Mickey nodded, "We do have some things to get in order and prepare first, but yes...We will be mounting an assault on their....Ocean base, I suppose..." she said.

Jay raised an eyebrow, "So.....None of you are mad at me? At all?" he asked. Everyone looked back and forth for a minute, determining their opinions. Jay waited for a moment until everyone began to mutter their collective answers. The general census was that they weren't mad at all, actually.

Sasha smirked, "Well  **I'm** a little annoyed....I didn't get to see you two be all cute and awkward together..." Sasha said.

Anna rolled her eyes, "Really?  **That's** what's annoying you? Fine...." Anna grabbed Jay's collar and pulled him close to her, pressing their lips together. Jay looked shocked for a minute, but quickly got into the kiss...

Sasha squealed and clapped like a giggly school girl and bounced in her seat, "MY SHIP!!! YAY!!!" she chimed happily. Anna released Jay, who was turning more red.

Anna blushed slightly and turned to Sasha, "Satisfied?" she asked.

"Yes." Jay spoke up before Sasha got the chance, the redness disappearing from his face.

Mickey chuckled to herself, "That's my boy..." she said proudly. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> ATTENTION. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SEE THE ARTWORK, UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE REQUEST OF OUR ARTIST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR THE TIME BEING. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF/WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO REPOST THE ART. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.


End file.
